One of the hallmarks of good automotive design is that a new model immediately ages the outgoing version. To my eye the original Range Rover Sport still looked fresh and sharp until a few months ago, but having had the opportunity to watch its replacement cruise through town, glide along the open road and scramble through dense woodland, I just can't identify those visual qualities any more. The old version now looks dated whereas the new model looks sensational.
here's also greater familiarity between Range Rover and Range Rover Sport now, which does the car tested here many favours. The story is the same inside, too, for while the original Sport had a clunky, untidy cabin, the new interior is the epitome of design cleanliness and style. The quality is very good indeed and with the option of two small seats in the boot for children it'll even accommodate larger families.
In those areas the new Sport is a leap ahead of the model it replaces, but what's most remarkable is that the outgoing model was in huge demand right up until its succession. In fact, during its final 12 months it very nearly surpassed pre-recession sales when, of course, the car was still new. Since 2005, Land Rover has shifted 415,000 units.
Those customers wanted both more Range Rover and more Sport in the second generation Range Rover Sport, says Line Director Nick Rogers. The familial styling and better-appointed cabin make it feel ever more like its bigger brother - despite only 25 per cent of parts being common - while the greater sportiness has been achieved through a raft of clever chassis and drivetrain features.
Torque vectoring, active differentials, bespoke suspension and an optional Dynamic mode - which alters roll resistance, steering assistance and damper stiffness - are said to deliver a sharper on-road driving experience. The vast quoted weight savings help no end, too; like for like, the new V6 diesel is 420kg lighter than the old version, reckons Land Rover.
What that all boils down to is that the new Sport is the fastest, most agile and most responsive Land Rover ever, according to the guys who designed it. Having covered hundreds of miles in the range topping 5.0 V8 Supercharged model, I can't disagree.
The ride in the default chassis mode is comfortable despite a sharp edge to it over lumps and bumps and in that setting there's just enough body control and composure to keep the masses in check on open, winding roads. Switching to Dynamic does perceptibly firm things up so that you can carry more speed through corners and quick direction changes. There's enough grip and compliance to maintain sufficient pace cross-country to hassle smaller, lighter performance cars.
The torque vectoring system is an uncanny thing to experience in a vehicle of this size. When you feel the front axle gradually slip into understeer around long, constant radius corners, the natural response is to gently lift off the throttle. Gulp and boot it, however, and the Sport just tightens its line and powers on through. With the active differential it will even power oversteer on low grip surfaces.
What the Sport can't hope to do is deliver performance car degrees of precision, agility or tactile response through the driver contact points (the steering in particular offers no sense of connection), but the thing really covers ground with genuine ease. The launch route cleverly took in all manner of roads, from open sweepers and narrow, lumpy twisters to busy urban streets and clear motorways. I don't think I can conceive of another car that would be so broadly competent across such diverse road types.
The 5.0-litre, supercharged V8 and eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox together form a powertrain that matches the brilliance of the chassis. Despite the hefty mass the rate at which the Sport takes off from standstill is quite shocking. A healthy dose of V8 snarl is piped into the cabin, too, while the superb gearbox swaps cogs smoothly, rapidly and immediately in response to your tugs of the paddles (which, incidentally, should be more tactile at this price point).
Land Rover delivered the single bravest activity I've ever come across on a new car launch. Having bumbled over the asphalt of the Epynt military ranges in mid-Wales, dutifully obeying the stifling speed limits, we found ourselves driving towards trees atop a gravel surface. It was a flipping rally stage! When the Land Rover bod stuck his head into the cabin to explain that it wasn't so necessary to be concerned about speed limits once into the stage, the natural inference was that we should go hell for leather and not be concerned about damaged bodywork.
What followed were the most alarmingly entertaining few miles of my driving career. Feeling two and a half tonnes of Range Rover sliding towards a row of conifers was both unsettling and hilarious, but the activity highlighted just how rugged the Sport really is. It batted away a rutted gravel rally stage as though it was the open A-road it was serenely cruising just minutes earlier.
That was the first practical sign that the new Sport has genuine off-road credentials. The spec-sheet had suggested as much earlier, though, for with 278mm of ground clearance, a maximum wading depth of 850mm, approach and departure angles of 33 and 31 degrees, a low ratio 'box and Land Rover's brilliant Terrain Response system, the Sport has all the hardware to live up to the badge. Albeit only on higher-spec models.
Eastnor Castle in Gloucestershire is where Land Rover shows off the mud-plugging capabilities of its wares. There are deep water baths, steep climbs and descents, muddy ruts and slippery tree roots throughout. Shod in the very same mud and snow rated tyres that it had so impressed on across various types of blacktop earlier in the day, the Sport didn't show a hint of being out of its depth. This broadly capable rubber is available on wheels up to 22 inches in diameter with much more aggressive off-road tyres available on 19-inch rims should you be a Bolivian explorer.
All told, the new Range Rover Sport is hugely impressive, particularly in this most PH of specifications. Only an occasional rattle from the A-pillar of one of the examples we drove really counted against it, for across an unmatched breadth of driving conditions the Sport is breathtaking. It deserves all of the original's success, and more.
SPECIFICATION | 2013 RANGE ROVER SPORT V8 SUPERCHARGED
Engine: 4,999cc, V8, supercharged
Transmission: 8-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 510hp@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 461lb ft@2,500-5,500rpm
0-62mph: 5.5sec
Top speed: 140mph (155mph optional)
Weight: 2,310kg
MPG: 22.1mpg (claimed)
CO2: 298g/km
Price: £81,550
1 / 12
